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-- Do that many Ch. visit the a go-go bars in Pattaya and off their boyz? I wouldn't have thought so.

Chinese "culture" guys from HK., Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia certainly visit and I believe are all equally unenthousiatic about "4". Not sure whther same applies to Japan and Korea?

Body Line
 

I've never been able to fathom why Bangkok massage places generally are so stingy with mirrors. I mean how else can you look at the cuteness that you are paying for, while being massaged?

By far the biggest massage room mirror that I have seen is at BODY LINE, a new place currently advertised in the free mags.

BODY LINE opened a few months ago in a residential area midway between Viphawadi and Ratchadapisek roads, perhaps inauspiciously in the very same quiet soy (though not the same house) where the absurdly named River Spa (the river being over 7 km away!) opened and closed in recent years.

Potentially a little peach of a place, BODY LINE is spoiled for me by the effem. mamasan's evident weakness for rough-trade masseurs, regardless of competence.

The first masseur I tried of the 3 or 4 on duty had a smile to die for but turned out to be a fitness fanatic who apparently saw the job as an opportunity to work out and be paid for it. Though exhaustingly energetic, he hadn't a clue about massage or apres massage.

On my second visit, the masseur I chose was equally hopeless, but he may have known something that I didn't, because he refused to permit any sex, except uncomfortably in the bathroom!

Nice house though! Beautifully converted to their new role, the reception rooms still have a homely feel. The few new massage rooms I saw at the back each have a bathroom or a big shower. They also have a couple of features that I have long dreamed of but never before found in a massage place:

1. At least 1 room has a mirror wall facing the massage table (Dear Lord, let it not have been 2-way!), and

2. TVs in the rooms, with gay porn CDs - defective, naturally, just like the ones I used to buy and now no longer do for that reason. Their main benefit proved to be getting the boys quickly turned on, though that tends to be your massage over and done with!

If I ever return to BODY LINE, I'll hope to find some trained staff. But for all I know, it could appeal right now to those into rough trade masseurs.

BODY LINE is 400 metres down soi Inthamara 32, well-signed on the left behind its leafy carpark. Phone: 02 6917679.
Buses stop at the soi mouth (Nos 52, 54, 74, 117 and 204, several of which can be caught in a Northerly direction under BTS Ari station, but will be awfully slow at busy times). The quickest route could be the MRT to Sutthisan, take station exit 4 (unless superstitious!) and a 2km moto'cy ride.
I paid 790 baht (plus tip) for an hour's oil.

supersititious
 

Just as most westerners aren't superstitious, most Chinese aren't either. I think you may be exaggerating the significance of number 4 on the boy who didn't get many offs. There can be a thousand other reasons.

-- In the freebie MAX Magazine, #76., BODY LINE has a two page advert., complete with map in Thai!
- But using Hiscox' admirably lucid instructions the map itself will become quite clear.
- In the mag's. write-up notes about various estabs. I see that BODY LINE offers Oil, Cream, Aroma & Scrum massages - ha! ;)
-- Bibi.. --

Oh really? So how come the Olympics opened at 8:08 pm on the 8th of the 8th month in the year 2008? Nothing to do with the fact that in putonghua and most dialects the number '8' sounds like the word for fortune, I suppose.

The simple fact about the Chinese and numbers is that the more westernised Chinese profess not to actually believe in such things...hahaha...while the more traditional ones do. In the matter of a gogo guy's number, however, I have never come across a gay Chinese from either Malaysia or Singapore who cared what it was as long as the guy's looks satisfied their own psychologically deepseated criteria of attractiveness. For many, even the guy's physique matters not in the least...as long as his face is right.

I dont disagree... the funny thing is while 13 holds no fear for me....... I (a farang) take no. 4 more cautiously ( I must be hyper superstitious) and given a choice between 2 boys that could be the deciding factor for me !

As far as Chinese generally, from my experience buying and selling property in Sydney I can assure you the chinese wont go near a house with the number 4 in it !.... and if you see a BMW or Merc with personalised plates including 888 there's no prizes for guessing who the drivers will be !

-- But, if the Ch. are that superstitious etc. etc., why did they prefer to use the western calendar rather than their own trad. one?
-- Bibi.. --

....no doubt because that's what the rules of the I.O.C. would have required !

1) because it is an international event
2) because the Western calendar coincided more closely with when the Olympics were due to start

I just did a bit of research and found that Aug 8th was the 8th day of the 7th Moon while the actual 8th day of the 8th Moon would have been Sep 7th.

I suspect that the 8th day of the 7th Moon (one day after the 7 sisters festival) was better if the IOC had to have it in August rather than September, which might have been a bit too late in the year. I know the international tennis tournament schedule, for example, would have been badly disrupted, let alone all the other sports events and sponsors' timetables.

Just a bit more cultural stuff here. Houses are where people live, so few Chinese would want to live in one where a number (4) sounding like 'die' is prominently displayed on the front gates to greet the gods and lucky spirits. Same with cars...a number like that might be tempting fate a little too closely for comfort.

'8' on the other hand, sounds like 'prosper' in most dialects, so it's considered auspicious.

I seriously doubt that many if any Chinese men care very much what number the off-guy is carrying...after all, it's not as if they're going to marry him the next morning.

The first I heard of 888 as a lucky number was when a Chinese friend in Australia got it on the number plates of his ute (pick-up truck). The good luck must have worked, as when I last saw them, those plates were gracing his new Merc!

[quote=Taoboxer;663954]Just a bit more cultural stuff here. Houses are where people live, so few Chinese would want to live in one where a number (4) sounding like 'die' is prominently displayed on the front gates to greet the gods and lucky spirits. Same with cars...a number like that might be tempting fate a little too closely for comfort.

So Tao, if you were given room 444 at a hotel (when you were already feeling ill with food poisoning from aircraft food) would go take it or ask to change???

To answer your question first, no. I wouldn't have a problem (not even a single qualm) about taking room 444 or even 4444 (literally 'die for sure') in Mandarin, Hokkien and Cantonese.

First of all, I'm not your typical Chinese. I'm a Baba Hokkien or Straits Chinese and more westernised in my ways. Not that there's a connection, but I'd be more anxious to check out whether the guy who brought my luggage to the room...and the one from room service who'll bring coffee...are available and cute enough for some good fun after hours than whether the room numbers comprise '4' or '8' or '6' or whatever.

On top of that, I don't have a superstition about numbers. I did study numerology years ago and therefore believe that all numbers, fortunate or otherwise, have their place in the great scheme of things.

Incidentally, for anyone who's interested in such things, '4' also sounds like 'happiness' in Mandarin - 'hsi' in the old romanized pronounciation. Yet the connection has never been made to the best of my knowledge. However, I suspect that the superstition about the number '4' is mostly a Cantonese preoccupation since the pronounciation for both the number and 'die' most closely approximates each other in that particular dialect. The idea spread to other dialectical groups over the course of time, I suppose.

And oh yeah, if anyone wants to know, I do know quite a bit more about old-fashioned Chinese culture, psychology and customs than the modern, typically fully Chinese-educated Chinese since learning about my own roots is a hobby of mine. It is extremely sad to me to watch younger Chinese so quickly discarding so many of the old ways without even a passing knowledge of their 5,000 year old culture or an understanding of what they call the Chinese religion. Nowadays, if you asked a Chinese below the age of 65 about the 4 Heavenly Kings, they'd probably name the 4 top pop singers...what else can I say?

PS
I'm not holding in my breath in my latest avatar. For the first time in my life, I can actually begin to see the shadow of real abs forming around my mid-section...something that never happened even when I wore size 30 jeans a long time ago. Looks like I really am on course to have my naughty grandpa poster boy pictures taken on my coming 50th birthday in a few months' time.